Know You Better
by TheBlackWallflower
Summary: Rose Weasley is tired of being her mother's daughter, and Scorpius Malfoy hates being called 'Malfoy'. But, this isn't your average classic Rose Weasley/Scorpius Malfoy story. WIP
1. Chapter 1

Rose Weasley wasn't an ordinary student at Hogwarts by any means, no sir! She was, like many of her cousins widely known by the students, the teachers, and even the kitchen elves- but not because of her getting an O in every class, her extremely loud demeanor, her crazily untameable red hair, or her fierce fury that was a grand sight to behold. She was widely known, some may even say _famous_ , because of her parents. The saviours of the wizarding world and classic best-friends-turned-lovers example to the world. And she hated it. She hated the fact that she was always compared to her mother, when she was more like her father; and she hated the collective gasp by the students sitting at the Great Hall, when she was sorted into Slytherin, after being a hatstand. As if having ambition was a bad thing! She hated it when three years later, she chose Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes over Divination and Care of Magical Creatures, and got branded _Hermione Weasley's daughter_ , because a) she wanted to keep in touch with the Muggle World, b) her mum continued to go by Hermione Granger, and not Hermione Weasley, and c) her secret ambition was to get the Wizarding World acquainted with Muggle Technology and create devices that work around Magic, so she absolutely had to take those subjects, and none of this was solely because she was her mum's daughter.

So she strived hard to stay up to the reputation she got being her mother's daughter, and tried to stay as diligent as possible, but by the time she was in Fourth Year, she was tired of all the pressure and so slowly she stopped visiting the library at every break she got, and started swimming in the Lake, and for when it was too cold, or too hot, or too gloomy, she learnt to enchant the Prefect's Bathroom (the password of which, her cousin Molly gave to her at the condition that she taught her the enchantment too, and sat for any two of her detentions) to look like a swimming pool, complete with floaters and the smell of chlorine that she had come to love.

Her grades had come down from perfect, because of thelost hours, but she maintained the topmost rank in class and successfully beat Scorpius Malfoy in every class, much to the satisfaction of her father. If her rank slipped in one essay or two, it didn't bother her as much, which in turn was a healthy attitude, she had decided.

But her favorite moments in schoolwas when she was in the library reading up on various enchantments, and tried to get a basic Muggle Walkman to play. She had successfully charged the basic battery to charge with Magic. She had recorded Nana Weasley's favorite Celestina Warbeck songs at a Muggle playground at midnight on a CD using her best friend's laptop, which she then played on the Walkman. This got her an O from her Muggle Studies professor, as well as Ancient Runes professor, even though the quality of the recording had been compromised due to strong Magic at Hogwarts. Later, when she gave the record to her Nana for Christmas, she burst out crying and that, for Rose was the happiest moment in her life. Later, when the externalinvigilators were intimated about this project by her professors, they all nodded approvingly, and herpracticals then, were a breeze. One of them, Mr. Waltham, took her aside and told her she would get an offer from the Department of Mysteries, if she continues the subjects into her NEWTs.

But it was that Summer- the Summer afterher OWLS, that everything had started to change.


	2. Chapter 2

Scorpius Malfoy is the son of a death eater. These words were imprinted into his impressionable mind ever since he was able to remember. The stares, the whispers directed towards his father continued for years, and they pierced him. When he was seven, he knew why.

His father told him about Lord Voldemort, and the pure blood mania. His father explained why he only saw his grandfather at Christmas, and that too only recently. He told him about Dumbledore, and Harry Potter, and Harry's friends. He told him about their children, all around the same age that he was. At seven, it was a bit too much for him to handle -that his seemingly perfect father had such a dark past.

When Scorpius walked through the Great Hall and stood in line for the sorting, he could feel some of the older students' eyes on him. Some of them looked like they were scared that Voldemort hit under his robes, and would jump out at the slightest of provocation. But he had learnt to avoid stares since he could remember it. He wanted to be remembered for his deeds, rather than his father's. He wanted to be remembered as _Scorpius_ Malfoy, rather than Scorpius _Malfoy._

So he wrote to his professors requesting them to call him by his name, at least till the end of the year, till he could show everyone that he was his own self. But in the end, he successfully became mediocre enough not to be noticed by anyone, but his professors, as he gave competition to Rose Weasley, everyone's pet, and stood second in class. His grades certainly were excellent, but thankfully he didn't draw much attention to himself. The stares turned to a collective mumbling when he was sorted into Ravenclaw..

He didn't try out for quidditch, but chose to focus on helping out Hagrid with his pumpkin patches and some of his magical creatures. When he befriended a Hippogriff named Buckbeak (Bucky, he called her), Hagrid laughed out loud and told him the story of his father with a Hippogriff by the name of Buckbeak. He chose to do Arithemancy because he loved the precision that came with numbers.

Come year five, he started beating Rose Weasley in some of the classes, but that year, he didn't feel quite proud of himself. He found that he had no distinct features that were his alone, and when he graduated, he wouldn't be remembered much. So he threw caution to the wind and by Halloween befriended James Potter and Fred Weasley, pranksters extraordinaires, and at the end of his OWLs and their NEWTs, they set off a major food fight in the Great Hall, (with his involvement kept a secret till then, even though many people had started noticing him) and once that quieted down, they set of fireworks, in the memory of Fred and George Weasley.

Not to mention, he became an instant celebrity, and that's the Summer that everything changed.


	3. Chapter 3

Scorpius was invited to spend the first week of Summer with the Potters in New York, where one of their many cousins had some property. (He wasn't sure about the whole deal with the cousins thing- the Potters had Muggle cousins?) Nonetheless, when James Potter, just before pulling off the biggest prank in the history of the school invited him to come along, he couldn't refuse. Needless to say, Hermione and Ron Weasley were also invited. Scorpius wasn't friends with Albus or Rose, even though they were in his year because of his entire incognito deal till the beginning of this year.

'Say, Scorpius!' said little Lily, 'how come we've never seen each other before?'  
Lily Potter was by no definition 'little.' She was in her third year, and pretty mature for her age. She was easily 5 foot 5, with potential for more growth, and had cut her red, smooth hair in layers, and had side bangs. She was smart witted, and looked like a future heartbreaker, but Scorpius couldn't help but think of her as 'Little Lily,' the way James used to call him.  
He smiled and looked up at James. James shrugged and drank a sip of his tea, and left the kitchen.

It was the first day of the holidays, and Scorpius arrived to the Potters' place in Highgate. His suitcase (transfigured into a Muggle backpack by Mrs Potter) lay across the room, with four others. They were to take Portkeys at half past 11, and it was only 9, but they had to go through numerous checkings by a wizard from the Ministry, who also was supposed to orient them about New York- the wizards, and their lifestyle, along with Muggle ways of life. So, Scorpius, who couldn't sleep the previous night, because of excitement and packing, reached 15 minutes early. Lily and him were having a tea and breakfast, while the others were still packing. Mr Potter went a little early to set things up, while Mrs Potter was nagging the two boys to hurry up, and 'follow Scorpius's example).

'That's because I didn't want you to see me. You'll see a lot of me this week, and maybe over the next two years at Hogwarts. Do you mind?' he said, tousling her hair, just the way James did.

'Um, no, I'd love to, as long as you don't act like James,' she said, narrowing her eyes. 'I'm glad _he's_ out of school. It's one less annoying brother out of school. Well, I don't think it counts, as Lucy is coming in this year...' he drifted out as she went on and on about a million cousins. It was then, that an owl swooped in through the Potters' window and he saw the very first of a thousand of its kind notes, addressed to him in a scented, pink paper.

 _Scorpius Malfoy,_  
 _You are the hero of my dreams, boy_  
 _The reason I checked some of my old toys_  
 _If you'd let me be, I'd love not to be coy_  
 _And let you play with my heart_  
 _Till it breaks apart._  
 _-Anon_

Scorpius looked at the note, and read it over a few times. When he saw the look at Lily's face, he grinned sheepishly, and chucked it into their fireplace. But just as he threw it, the flames turned green, and out of it stepped a ravishing looking Rose Weasley.


	4. Chapter 4

Scorpius had never seen Rose like this. Generally, she dressed in the Hogwarts uniform, or the quidditch robes and on occasions when he caught a glimpse of her outside the castle, he hardly ever paid attention. So when Rose stepped out of the fireplace with a speck of dust on her nose, and her hair done up in a messy bun, and dressed in shorts and a baggy, faded Muggle T-shirt which said _Lights will guide you home,_ he let out a gasp.

He couldn't fathom how a girl _so_ disheveled could seem so attractive to him. How could somebody with so much frizz in her hair that half her hair stood out at weird places, and so ginger, it almost looked orange, and with unshaven legs, and bags under her eyes look like the most beautiful creature he had ever set his eyes on?

His gasp stopped her from finishing whatever she was trying to say, and commanded her attention towards him.

"Al-!" she had just begun, which turned into an 'oh!'  
"Malfoy! What are you doing here?"  
"I..uh-"  
Lily cleared her throat.  
"I'm sorry. That was very unbecoming of me!" her ears had turned red, but it wasn't visible thanks to her hair. "It's just, I didn't expect you here... Where's Albus and Aunt Ginny?" she asked Lily.

As she left the kitchen, he found his eyes trailing her. Lily cleared her throat again, and he went back to drinking his tea. "Your brother is in Hufflepuff, right?" he asked her, even though he knew. She went back to a rant about how James gave him and Rose hell about not being sorted into Gryffindor. He had to say, he was coming to like her. She was so... welcoming!

* * *

Rose went back and forth a couple of times- to drop off all their trunks. Scorpius learnt the enchantment from her, and he helped her transfigure all of them into American backpacks and duffels. By about quarter to ten, Rose and Hugo arrived with Hermione Granger-Weasley. Scorpius looked a little starstruck, and so she grinned at him. She introduced herself to him (!), and said that she knew his dad, and had some great Hogwarts memories with him. Overall, he found her extremely pleasant, and would, in future describe himself as feeling dizzy and tongue- tied.

He wanted to do a little dance because he had _just_ met who The Daily Prophet, and even The Quibbler described as the future Minister of Magic, and the current head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. There wasn't a soul who didn't know who Hermione Granger was, and _she_ had just introduced herself to _him._ She said _she_ had some pleasant memories with his father, when he _knew_ his father had been kind of a bully to her at school. He could not _believe_ what had just passed between the two of them. Even Rita Skeeter hadn't too many bad things (except her hair) to talk about!

He had to repeatedly tell himself to calm down, especially when he realized he was going to spend a _holiday_ with not just Hermione Granger, but also Ron Weasley and Harry Potter! He'd previously met Ginny Weasley when she'd come to his dad's parties when he was a shareholder of the Holyhead Harpies, a team she was also formerly in. Legend has it that he spent the entire party clung to her legs, and she took him around with her. When he was older, she had asked for him, till he was around eight, when she was promoted from a reporter to a Senior Correspondent. So he wasn't as starstruck, as embarrassed to meet her. But she put him at ease almost instantly.

* * *

When the Ministry wizard had come, they were all seated on the Potters' front yard in chairs. Rose, Hermione, Albus, and Hugo sat in front, and Scorpius, James, Lily, and Mrs Potter sat behind them. The wizard showed them pictures of various gadgets and transportation equipment the American Muggles used, and Scorpius found himself enthralled with Rose, who, it seemed knew all about it. He found himself half staring at her, and half listening to the wizard - both equally fascinating to him. After the wizard left, the Weasleys left to change themselves into travelling attire. It seemed that there was a little bit of Muggle transportation to be used, and they had to dress in Muggle clothes. Mrs Potter, again transfigured a couple of his clothes, and the rest, it was decided had to be bought.

Finally, by quarter past eleven, everyone gathered in the Potters' kitchen. James and Scorpius had put on white t-shirts and a pair of blue jeans, Scorpius also put on a flannel shirt over it, Albus had worn a grey t-shirt with a black leather jacket and black jeans. Lily wore a green blouse with a pair of white trousers, and Ginny and Hermione (You can call me Ginny, dear' she'd told him) wore business casuals. But Scorpius's eyes were fixated on Rose, who'd worn what she'd called a 'onesie' and in his opinion she looked absolutely stunning! He stole glances at her, for the next 15 minutes, even as he conversed with James, Hermione Granger, Lily, and Ginny, and was relieved when it was finally time to leave.

* * *

 **Thank you for the follows, favourites, and reviews. :)  
**

 **I'd appreciate more. This is going to be a 20 chaptered fic- give or take a couple.**


	5. Chapter 5

A quick bolt in his stomach, and Scorpius felt his feet leave the ground. After what seemed like a lifetime of uncomfortable sensations, he finally could feel the ground underneath his feet. They were in a park, and a few joggers were up, while the rest of the city slept.

They had to travel in 4 different cabs. He shared one with James, Lily, and Albus. The city of New York was just waking up as they travelled to the Upper East Side. Many were sleepily strolling the sidewalk with cups of coffee and Scorpius was fascinated with it.

As they were settling in, James got an owl saying he was selected as a reserve Beater for Puddlemere United, and he was to report in two weeks. As soon as this news reached Lily and Rose, both of them started jumping up and down and Al started crying. When they went in for a group hug, Scorpius almost felt as if he were intruding. Rose looked at him, and asked him to join them, and he had never felt so psyched about anything.

* * *

After they had settled in, and Rose and Lily had incessantly pestered James for a treat, he took all of them for brunch at a place Rose had picked out from her 'New York Bucketlist'. She took out a lean white piece of what looked like a piece of polished stone, but made of something he couldn't understand. She pushed a button and the front side blinked up. Scorpius looked at it in bewilderment, and James laughed at him. Rose looked at his shell shocked face and said, "This is an iPad. One of Muggle technologies. You can find whatever you want on it." She touched what she called a screen a dozen times and typed in New York, New York into it, and a Scorpius saw moving photographs with music, much unlike the wizard ones he's used to seeing. "These are called videos. I'm not too sure about what this song is, but... Anyway it belongs to Al" she told the rest. Scorpius wondered why she was explaining that to James and Lily.

* * *

Rose, Scorpius, James, Lily, and Albus were seated in a cafe and were enjoying Belgian Waffles and coffee (Rose's recommendation, obviously). They sat and chartered away till it was evening. Rose got up and asked them to excuse her, there was a bookstore she wanted to explore. James asked her to take Scorpius along with her, so he went with her.

Scorpius had loved books ever since he was young and his father read Beedle the Bard out loud to him. He spent hours in the library reading up on Magizoology and Herbology, and he loved every bit of it. But nothing he had seen compared to the place Rose had brought him. It was a small bookstore stacked with books of all kind.

"I've loved Muggle books ever since I was a kid," she said. "I loved reading up about their history, and technology and fiction! Oh, fiction!" She sighed and smiled up at him. His stomach did a flip and so he grinned at her; "I've never had the good chance to explore Muggle books. Do you mind helping me through it here?" She lit up at that and started guiding him through some aisles when he realized how much she knew about Muggles- first the iPad and now this. He was even more intrigued by the enigma that was Rose Granger Weasley.

As she guided him through Shakespeare and Yeats to Neruda and Chomsky, he began to learn little quirks about her- she loved poetry and non fiction, and her face lit up, every time she talked about something she absolutely loved. She seemed to chuckle and get lost in her own world way too many times, and she read a Muggle book to every two Wizarding book and she loved quoting off from her favorite works. While these were very basic things, something everyone did, it was so endearing on her. He'd never met anyone like her, and of that he was certain.

"How do you know so much about Muggles?" he asked her.  
"Oh!" she said as she chuckled, "My mum sent me to Muggle school before Hogwarts. I keep forgetting everyone doesn't go there. Plus, I take Muggle Studies. It's my favorite subject in school, what's yours?"

As they proceeded to talk about all things small and great, Scorpius fell harder and harder for her.

* * *

 **Thanks again for follows, favourites, and reviews. :)**

 **You really didn't think Hermione would have let her daughter not go to school before Hogwarts, did you? It's Hermione. She loves school.**

 **More Scorpius Rose interaction coming up in the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

"What should I be wearing," asked Scorpius , worriedly. Mrs. Potter had announced at breakfast that day that the American Ministry had invited them to an annual Muggle-themed party- something they have been doing since the War. This year's theme was The Roaring Twenties, and Scorpius had no clue what that meant.  
James laughed at him and asked him what made him think he had a clue. Within 5 minutes, James was snoring loudly. Scorpius gave up and was changing into his pajamas when the door suddenly opened and there stood Rose Weasley. She was in the middle of a word, when she saw Scorpius topless, and as soon as she realised her mouth was open, she shut the door. He couldn't help but feel a little awkward, but at the same time immensely pleased. He quickly undressed and opened the door, trying hard not to grin.  
"Hi," she said, not looking at him.  
"Hello," he said repressing his grin, "what had you come in to say?"  
"Erm, if you guys aren't sure about what to wear tonight, I could help you out. I just researched on it, and Lily was excited about the costumes she found online- um, remember the internet? Yeah on that"  
"You're ranting, Rose" he laughed.  
"Hmm. Well. If you want to, you could come into my room." He smirked, and then nodded.  
"I'll wake James and be there in five."  
As she started walking away, he yelled, "And by the way, I loved that Neruda book you gave me. But what does the spring do to the cherry trees?"  
An old couple in the corridor looked at them and smiled.  
"Shut up, Scorpius," she said as she closed the door to her room.

The venue was a huge open area in Central Park, completely lit by fairy lights around trees, and a tent with an enchanted ceiling. It looked as if the stars were shining down for them. Scorpius learnt that Muggle repellant charms had been in place, and save a dozen Muggles- spouses and significant others of Wizards and witches, no other Muggle would be able to see or hear them, nor wander close to the territory. He had been wearing a white striped suit with a top hat and a pocket watch, while James was in a black suit with wide pants and carried a walking stick that reminded him eerily of his grandfather Malfoy. They were allowed to apparate within a mile from the tent and so James side-along apparated with him.  
He had never seen these many wizards and witches in Muggle attire his entire life, and it looked as if he's a part of what Rose had called "The Movies" earlier. He was scheduled to go for one with her the next morning, along with Albus and Lily.

As they stood in line for a wand - check, he saw a lean man, along with a girl who was around Scorpius's age. The father - daughter duo stood in a shorter line which moved faster than the one he was in.  
"Why can't we be in that line?" Scorpius asked James.  
James looked at it and told him that they were Muggles.  
"Rachael! RACHAEL! Over here!" James called out.  
Scorpius was bewildered when the girl, along with her dad spotted him and came over, grinning. She was in what Lily had called a black flapper dress and a headgear, which looked like it was made of diamonds. She wore gloves reaching up to her elbows, and her deep grey-bronze eyes, complete with lavender eye shadow added to her charm. Scorpius made a mental note to stay away from Lily the next time she tried to ready anyone for a party.  
"Hi, James! It's so good to see you!" her dad said, as she went straight for a squeezing hug.  
"Calm down, Rach. We're here for an entire week! Well, 3 and a half more days, now. Dad said you had gone to Rocky Mountains with some friends! It sucks that we can't be together for a longer time." James complained.  
He then shook hands with the father and said, "Uncle Duddley. Always a pleasure."

Scorpius watched the scene unfold with mild interest. How is James related to Muggles? Did he just call this man uncle? He cleared his throat.  
"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Scorpius Malfoy- future prankster, and current best friend," James said. "And this is my Uncle Duddley, and his daughter Rachel. Uncle Duddley is my dad's cousin."  
After pleasantries, they went back to join their shorter line and were quickly ushered in.

Scorpius went around the tent and ran into Rachael only once more. But before he could greet her again, his eyes fell on what he thought was a version of Aphrodite. Then he pinched himself for being such a sap.

Rose walked in, in a luxurious wine red velvet dress with a string of pearl around her neck. She had a dia- Scorpius realised he was staring, lips agape, and quickly looked away. He couldn't help himself, and when he saw James deep in conversation with an old witch, he picked three flutes of champagne and walked towards where Rose and Albus were standing.  
"Miss Weasley, Mister Potter!" he said bowing.  
"Don't be fake, Scorpius. Not very becoming of you," Rose said laughing.  
"How flattering to see you, Mr. Malfoy! How long has it been since we last met? Ten minutes?" Albus returned, grinning.

Rose. Rose. Rose. He just couldn't help but wonder why hadn't he noticed her before? How was it that someone so magnificent escape anyone's eye? How could she be single? How could- wait, come to think of it, he didn't know she was single. He must ask her that before he goes and makes a fool out of himself. He must ask her to dance today.  
"Scorpius!" he saw her snapping her finger in front of his eyes. "Where did you get lost?" She said, grinning.  
"Oh, uh. Yeah. I met your cousin Rachel. She's somewhere around," he covered up.  
Almost at the same time Rachel came from behind Rose and covered her eyes.  
"I know it's you, Rach. Scorpius here was telling me you met him! How have you been?" He left the squealing girls and Albus and went around the room. It was gorgeous. He couldn't help but let himself get carried away. Many witches and wizards were dressed to impress. He couldn't help but feel a little _lost_ , true to the age he was pretending to be in.

* * *

 **Okay, this is too long already. Next one for sure has a lot of interaction. And nothing is going to make me abandon this fic.**

 **Also, I've created a fanmix based on this fic, on Spotify. It's called Know You Better: An R/S fanmix. (My username is ladyblackwallflower on it. )Do give it a listen, if you want to.**


	7. Chapter 7

It had been an hour since James and he had arrived at the venue. Scorpius spent about half an hour just admiring the place and the beautiful, beautiful people it beheld. There was a general sense of merriment, and people, non-discriminantly chatted away. He had been summoned into discussions of all kinds: about fashion, and currency, and travel, and Muggle Magic. Even when he had no clue what was going on, explanations were given and opinions were passed along. When the bar opened, people happily went ahead and drank all kinds of Muggle liquor. James tagged him along and made him taste something called _coke_ , which he absolutely detested the first time he drank it. James smugly added rum into his own and chugged away. "Ah! The benefits of being of age!" he said, as he winked. He then asked for gin and tonic and gave a Scorpius a shot. "Perks of being my best friend."

About an hour later, a very drunk James Potter had to be seated down at a table near where old ladies were seated, and even though Scorpius didn't see it, James went on bragging about being chosen into a Quidditch Team to very un-interested ladies. No, Scorpius couldn't see that drama unfolding around him, because he felt a tap at his shoulder.

"Come dance with us?" a very breathless Rose asked him. "I've been looking all over for you! Ah, James! Is he drunk already?What a tosser!"  
"Rosieeeee," James squealed. (Yes, he actually squealed.) "I'm not drunk at all. Soco... Sroco... This blondie here just wants me to sit with these very fine, but very old women for the rest of the thing."  
"Okay, Jamsie Poo. You're not drunk at all. We're taking turns in dancing. Let your blondie boy come dance with us now, and we'll come get you later, cool?"  
"Noooooooo," he moaned. "Can't I also dance with you?"  
Rose completely ignored him and winked at Scorpius. "Ready for some action, blondie boy?"  
Scorpius blinked twice, and slowly nodded. "Please let the name not stick, Merlin!" he prayed, just as Rose laughed out loud. "Yeah, you wish!"  
She dragged him to the dance floor, where Albus, Hugo, Lily, and Rachel were already dancing to the upbeat number that was blaring from somewhere. Rose and Scorpius broke the circle and danced with them.

After a good forty five minutes, all of them were panting. They looked for a chair, as some representative of the American Ministry went up onto the stage where the orchestra were playing and gave a short address about the Wizarding War and how it has also affected the world in general. He then called upon _the golden trio_ to give a speech, at which point Rose got up and announced it's time for them to go eat.

When all the boring formalities and speeches were done with (at which point they had already chugged down a lot of butterbeer), the dancing resumed, and he watched as Rose went around the room dancing and what his parents called _mingling_ with other people. He couldn't help but watch in awe as she floats down and around the dance floor. Rachel comes in and says hello to him. "She's looking too pretty, isn't she?" Scorpius realised he was staring again, but how could he not? He smiled at her, and said "Indeed. But so are you. And everyone around here." Rachel looked up at him and smiled. "You're fuzzy." Scorpius looked at her, and realised how pretty _she_ was, with her blonde hair and her blue eyes- the idea of perfection. "Does prettiness run in your family?" he asked, smirking. "Well _there_ you go!" she returned, smacking him on his arm, "and _we're_ not related, just friends."

Rose came in from behind and tugged on his arm, and said "Scorpius! Come dance with me! All the others are related! Curse of being a Weasley. Ugh" She was clearly a little tipsy. He shot an apologetic smile at Rachel and went ahead with her.  
He rolled up his sleeves and danced carelessly for what seemed like a lifetime with the enigmatic Rose Granger-Weasley.

"I don't want to sound rude, but how come Rachel is here? Isn't she a Muggle?"  
It was late, and the orchestra had started playing slow love songs.  
"Sshh. I love this song."  
Scorpius tried to catch some of the lyrics to the slow croon-

 _Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away_  
 _And ever since that night, we've been together_  
 _Lovers at first sight, in love forever_  
 _It turned out so right for strangers in the night_

"I hope you don't mind," Rose said, as she rested her head on his shoulder, "I'm feeling a little dizzy."  
Scorpius let out a small sigh.  
And through the night, the two of them swayed to a bunch of love ballads, with his arms around her, steadying, and hers around his neck.  
 _Rose Granger-Weasley is going to be the death of me._


	8. Chapter 8

_I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you_  
Yes there's _a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you._  
 _I've seen the waters that make your eyes shine_  
 _Now I'm shining too_  
 _Because oh because_  
 _I've fallen quite hard over you_

 _If I didn't know you, I'd rather not know_

 _If I couldn't have you, I'd rather be alone_

 _-Love in a coffee shop, Landon Pigg_

* * *

The next afternoon, when Scorpius opened his eyes to the ornate hotel room to James's incessant snoring, he couldn't help but grin. He'd spent the night dancing with Rose Weasley. He spent 5 minutes in bed, just reliving everything that happened last night, and smiling to himself. Needless to say, he had a slight bounce to his steps, till he reached the window to and saw an owl with a letter. He read through yet another badly written love note, wondering who this anonymous girl (he really hoped it was a girl) was. It was quite annoying, to be honest. This was the fifth note he had received since he arrived in NYC, and he had absolutely no clue who it was from.

Rose suddenly barged into his room, and he couldn't help but just smile at her.  
"Last night was the best, Scorpius! I'm so glad... Is that a love note? Can I read it?"  
Without waiting for a reply, she just put her arms around his waist, reaching out for the note, not noticing the crimson spreading his cheeks.  
He could see the way her eyes widened and her grin broadened as she read through it. She let out what he thought was a small laugh and said, "You never mentioned you had a girlfriend, Scorp!"  
He looked up at her, hoping to see jealousy written in her face, but she was reading the note again, frowning.  
"Oh, anonymous. How silly of me. Anyway, I came in to tell you that we're going to the Dursleys for dinner tonight. And before that, if that fool wakes up," nodding towards James, "we could catch a movie or something. Yeah?"  
Scorpius looked at her quizzically, as she walked out the door mumbling something about love notes and friendship.

* * *

He really should stop getting surprised at how beautiful she looks. They were heading out to have some street food and watch _The Tempest_ at Washington Square, at the insistence of Al and Rose. She was wearing a cartwheel hat, and gloves, and Scorpius swore that if he ever got a chance to love her, he'd never let her go.  
James looked at her and started laughing.  
"Didn't you change from last night? Am I right, Scorp?" he said, with his hand extended for a fist bump. Scorpius was in a dilemma, as Rose simply walked away.  
James looked him up and down, and said, "You better not be smitten by my cousin. I'll knock your teeth out, if she doesn't get to you first. Besides, Al-"  
Mrs Potter Walked in and asked them to hurry up before Scorpius could hear what his inevitable fate would be.

Over the course of the evening, Scorpius learnt that Harry Potter grew up with Dudley Dursley. They were cousins, who were estranged, till Dudley married Parvati Patil, and had a baby girl Petunia Dursley. Dudley's girlfriend, Nancy, had died of tuberculosis, just after Rachel was born. Petunia was apparently a bright little witch, a year younger than Hugo, making her grandmamma Dursley beam with pride every time she set eyes on her. Rachel, unfortunately, was a Muggle, but she supported Petunia relentlessly, and the two of them were apparently best of friends. Why didn't they meet Petunia and Parvati, Scorpius asked James, at one point. They were apparently visiting Parvati's sister and her family, who now live in Paris. Rach and Dudley were supposed to join them after Rach was back, before the Potters decided to come to NYC.

* * *

Scorpius, along with the rest of their party, reached a cozy home in Upper East Side, Manhattan, where Rachel readily welcomed them all home. She looked starkly different from how she looked last night, Scorpius noticed. Her hair was shorter- a bob cut, he realized, as Lily squealed 'You got a bob-cut! You look brilliant, Rach', and she looked beautiful in her Muggle formal clothing.  
"I'm sorry, I had this interview, and I just came home..." she trailed off, as Dudley screamed, "She _just_ is two hours ago, hasn't gotten off the couch since!"  
Rachael rolled her eyes and asked them inside.

After dinner, the kids, including James, went down to the basement, which had been lit up with purple lights, and had 7 camp beds lined up for all seven of them. Next to those was a table with cushions around them. Rachel introduced them to a Muggle game called Monopoly, which they played, and to Rose's dismay, she lost within the hour. Scorpius could safely say that nothing and nobody had made him that content in his life, except Bucky the Hippogriff. He almost didn't want to go back home tomorrow.

* * *

They were back home. Well, not Scorpius, he was at the Potters', but back to London, anyway. It was time, Scorpius thought, to tell Rose- tell her everything about him, and learn all about her, her body, blood, and all. It was time to ask her to come over to the Malfoy cottage, where he wanted to show her his potted plants, and the pixies and fairies from the woods that he'd befriended as a kid. He wanted to introduce her to Browtuckles and take her to Snidget Sanctuaries, and play Quidditch with her, till she wears out, and hear all about the Muggle stuff she loves, and read Muggle poetry, and browse through "the net" with her. He wondered if she'd feel the same way about him, but if she didn't, he wanted to be friends with her and _just be with her._ He knew she'd understand. Because Rose Granger-Weasley was amazing.

* * *

On his last evening at the Potter house, he was sure he was going to talk to her, to tell her everything there ever was, to tell her everything he ever thought, but also not sound creepy. He decided that it was time - it was Summer, after all!

When Rose turned up in her old PJs for dinner that evening, he decided it was time.  
He walked over to where she was sitting, and said, _Hello._  
Rose hadn't heard him. She was hustled up with Albus, talking in whispers.  
 _Rose?_ he said, louder this time.  
"Oh, hey, Scorpius! Almost didn't hear you there. Hey! Come listen to this song, it's called _Falling in love at a coffee shop._ You'll love it! I'm going to mix it next."  
She handed him a Y shaped wire with a bob at two ends and a little metallic encasing at the other end.  
"Here, take these earphones," she said, and put those in his ears, and the metal into her, what she called, an iPad.  
He heard through the song, marvelling at its beauty, and nervous butterflies attacking him, at the same time.

He removed the ear pieces and looked at her, sitting there expectantly. "You like?" she asked.

He smiled, and said, "It was beautiful, Rose. I.. I wanted to ask you something.."  
Mrs Potter called her to the kitchen at the same time. She promised her aunt that she'd be there in a minute.  
"Yeah?" she asked.  
This was it.  
"I... Hey! Will you guys come over to the Malfoy Cottage sometime this summer?"  
She threw her head back and laughed.  
"Of course we will, Malfoy! How can we not? Besides," she said, "I just want to get to know you better."


	9. Chapter 9

Rose Weasley is described by most as someone who is confident, and calm in most situations. Even when she oversleaps before an exam, she calms herself down, and makes the most of her time.

But, at the moment, Rose had the butterflies. She couldn't understand why, but she did. She couldn't eat much breakfast nor lunch, and she was hungry, but she felt like throwing up. Her hair was disheveled, and her socks were mismatched. She tried to read, but the words seem to float, and she couldn't understand any of the words in that Muggle fairy tales book she tried to read, and she wanted to do something, but she couldn't figure what. She tried to sleep, but she couldn't keep her eyes close for longer. It was safe to say that Rose Granger-Weasley was restless. She was, by afternoon, tired of all the butterflies and just couldn't wait for tonight.

Her cousins had poured in and out, some chattering excitedly, some simply jealous about her New York trip. Teddy had come in to tell her something excitedly, but looking at the vague expression on her face, grinned and said, "Maybe tomorrow morning, Rosie." She felt like she was in a bubble of her own and everything else unfolding around her didn't concern her at all. It was like she was a hero waiting for her inticing incident. Like her life was about to change and she couldn't understand why.

She thought it probably was just the "jet lag" or perhaps the lack of something exciting to do. So she decided to go out and take a spin in their back garden while listening to some Neon Trees, a recent discover for her. And surely enough, she calmed down. And that's when it struck her. She ran down to open _In_ _singulari_ _mysterium,_ a book she'd discovered while in New York, about some of the magic the ancient Indian civilisations and other Natives performed. It talked about the ascending Europeans who settled there and how wizards had to hide Magic from their prying eyes. She knew she was very close to cracking something and sat down on the floor with parchments, ink bottles, notebooks, her iPad, what would look like a million books and an exaggerated sigh.

Hours in, after mugs of tea, hot chocolate and Albus walking in and out of her room, several times excitedly, Rose sighed and decided to just take a nap. She'd not reached anywhere concrete, but she learnt a lot about how the wizards concealed magic, and she couldn't understand how, but it could maybe smoothen the process along. _It's okay,_ she told herself, _I will get there soon enough._ So she went and plopped herself on her bed, closing her eyes, and concentrating on physically relaxing herself and her sore muscles. She dreamt of Scorpius Malfoy, and New York, and academic success. She dreamt of her life post Hogwarts, and the possible love of her life, and Albus swore he heard her sigh and smile contentedly a couple of times.

Rose turned and tossed a couple of times, clutching at her pillow and trying to go back to sleep, but she realised what day it was, and suddenly was very alert, but she lazily stretched, keeping her eyes almost forcefully shut.  
"Morning, sunshine" an excited light voice whispered from the foot of her bed, jolting her up. She couldn't believe it was real. As if waiting for so long for it to happen kind of invalidated the realness of the event. Her stomach dropped, and all the butterflies now flapped their wings hurriedly, as if they had to get somewhere urgently. She jumped up, almost ran, and wrapped her arms around him, and slightly tugged his golden blonde hair, and clutched on to it, as if to never let go. "You're here! Finally!" she almost squealed. "I missed you, ass-face." she whispered. "I missed you so much."

* * *

 **Hi guys, I've not asked for reviews or follows, yet, but I'm abou to change that, I would really like all of you to please review after you've read it. Thanks a lot. Also, I promise the next chapter is amazing, even though it is short.**


	10. Chapter 10: Flashback 1

When Rose Granger-Weasley was 3, her mum thought it'd be a brilliant idea to send her to Muggle School, so that she'd learn how to respect them, and view them as equals. Despite Ron's insistence that it wouldn't matter, because Molly Weasley had been home - schooling her grandkids, and she'd impart the equality that she'd taught her own kids equally well, Hermione believed that Muggle schooling, especially till pre-school would do no harm, and only good. She believed it was essential for children to interact with other children, especially of their own age, and those beyond their own family, for healthy development. So the plan was to let Rose go to Muggle School, as an experiment. When Hermione proposed this idea to Molly Weasley, she beamed at Hermione, and conveyed what a brilliant idea it was. Harry and Ginny were impressed, and because Rosie was doing it, Albus was excited to go too.

That's how the Rose and Albus became the first famous Wizarding children in history to go to Muggle schools, and The Daily Prophet, along with other magazines had a field day running this issue. After all, they were some of the most famous Wizarding children of all time. On their first day, Molly packed them both a self-heating sandwich each, and Rose, dressed in a yellow knee-long dress, and Albus in jeans and a denim jacket, and carrying school bags with pencils and notebooks, were off to school. Both sets of parents did a quick concealment charm on the SUV they'd rented, hopped in and drove off, leaving the Paparazzi confused.

 _For Publicity_? a nasty publication ran a piece. _Did the War heroes not make enough headlines? Are they baiting their children to garner more attention?_ It put off Harry so much that he wanted to write to the editor, but Ron calmed him down. Undeterred, Albus and Rose continued to go to the school, falling in love with the Muggle world, with their little hearts, and easily mingling with everyone in their class.

When it was time for first grade, when both of them started to show their first overt signs of magic, their parents considered taking them out of school, to which both Rose and Albus outright refused. They were in love with school, they begged, and Rose always finished first. _They are going to teach us about computers, mum,_ Rose whined, _and first grade is when we get to learn to play an instrument of our choice!_ Albus added. _And what will Al_ _do?_  
After the entire summer of careful contemplation, they were allowed to rejoin school.

Rose and Albus loved school. Albus loved their playground, and games class, and drama class. He loved interacting with his classmates, and listening to Muggle stories about magic. He loved the uniform and the Muggle clothing. Rose loved school too. She loved computers and gadgets and Muggle technology. She loved how quick everything was. She would incessantly pester her parents to let her take her phone to Hogwarts, later. She loved their history, and their literature, and she, like Albus, loved drama class. But what made them go back again and again wasn't just school, it was Al.

Alexis McAdams was a classmate to Albus and Rose since pre school. After an initial fight about who got to go on the swing first, on their third week of school, Alexis, Rose, and Albus stuck together. He was the reason Rose and Albus didn't want to leave school. He was the reason, Rose and Albus loved the Muggle world.

It was a rainy day, just like any other, that Rose, Al, and Bus (as Alexis liked to call Albus) sat at Rose's kitchen, when Sylvia burst into the room, yanking Al away. The look on the three children's faces broke Ron's heart. "Sylvia! What are you doing?" He barked.  
"He's my boy, and I'll do with him what I please!" she spat back.  
"You may, you may, but not like this, you won't! Not from under my roof! Does Atticus know?" Ron asked calmly, biting back the venom.  
"Atticus? Atticus! What does he know?" she all but cursed.  
"Sylvia, I'll make you some tea. Why don't you leave Alexis be, and we'll cook something up? Come," Ron said, rubbing her shoulders, and looking her in the eye.  
She let go of Al, and sighed. "Okay, okay."  
Ron lead her to the guest bedroom and locked the door from the outside.  
"Mr Weasley?" a small voice came from the stairs. "Do you think mum will be okay?" It broke his heart to look at this boy, with his brown eyes and pouting lips.  
"Yes, honey. She'll be better when she gets up,okay?"  
"I don't like it when she comes home drunk. She smells," he said.  
"We are going to look into that, aren't we?" Ron assured him.

Al stayed over, with Bus most nights at Rose's house, and on the days Bus was at home, Al taught Rose all kinds of video games and they exchanged songs they'd heard on the radio, and did homework. But the best part was that since that fateful day, Sylvia McAdams never touched a drink. She went into rehabilitation and came back a stronger woman. Alexis was learning to love his new mom, and he succeeded with each passing day.

When they were 9, they got a White Christmas. Rose, Bus, and Al were building a snowman when Bus accidentally did magic for the very first time, in front of Al. Alexis got really confused at first and then dismissed it as a trick of the eye. When he saw them for the Weasley Christmas Dinner (yes, it deserved capitalisation) he saw that Rose's eyes were red and puffy. He was about to ask her what was wrong, when James interrupted him and exclaimed, "Snow Fight!" Al never got to ask her what happened that night and he went away to Australia the next day, with his parents.

* * *

 **You really didn't think Hermione would let her children go without formal education, did you? :P**


	11. Chapter 11: Flashback 2

**Warning: Alcohol abuse**

"You are going to have to let go, honey," Ginny said, looking at Albus and Rose, "Albus may have made a mistake, but you know Lily and Hugo are growing up too. There will be way too much magic around the house, wherever you all will be. You are going to have to tell him something. I'm so sorry."

At this moment, Albus was clenching his fist and trying really hard not to throw anything. He accidentally broke two china sets already, and he was really trying hard to calm himself down. Rose, on the other hand, had been crying, a torrent of tears leaving her eyes, making them sore. Ginny had to be told about the little accident, and she was telling them to drop out of school, and cutt off ties with Alexis. Both of them were heartbroken, to say the least. Who would they bring home? Who would make them feel normal, like they belong somewhere in this world? Who would make them laugh and love? Who else did they know so well? Who would they share their life with? Alexis, Albus, and Rose were meant to be together forever. Nothing in the world was supposed to break them up. Albus had even got them friendship bracelets after watching that show that Rose had found one day, where the two best friends turned out to be _Bracelet Buddies._ They were supposed to be like Rose's mum and dad and Albus's dad. They were all supposed to be each other's best men (or, in Rosie's case, breast man). (Yes they talked about it, when Sylvia had married Atticus, and Rose was a flower girl, and Alexis the best man. Albus was an usher).

Albus wanted to give up magic, if that meant not cutting his better half (a name Rosie gave them both: the better half and the other half) off his life. Rose wanted to hold him, and hug him forever. Who else would she talk about video games and comic books with? Who else would teach her technology and nerd her out with? Both of them voiced their thoughts out, and Ginny looked on, bewildered.  
Both of them had felt like they belonged in the Muggle world as much as the Wizarding world, plus when they were with the Muggles, the stupid paparazzi didn't bother them about random crap like what they were wearing. Rose liked how she earned her place in class, and around friends, and Albus loved how the tennis bat felt in his hands, pretty much as much as the wind felt against his face when flying. Rose loved the TV shows they watched at Al's place, and the feel of Muggle sweatshirts, and Al loved horse riding, as he had been taking classes in the summers. And they'd loved Al.  
Al had been living in the neighbourhood, and went to school with Bus and Rose since kindergarten. His dad, Atticus, and mum, Sylvia were college sweethearts, and they had Al when they'd just got out of. Atticus went on to set up Wight Lights, a company that dealt with Li-Fi technology, that after years of perseverance had kicked off, by the time Al was 7. Sylvia had to stay home to look after Al, but turned to alcohol, because of boredom. Her problems with alcohol made her detest Atticus, who at the beginning couldn't even come home some nights. She used and abused alcohol till she was hollow inside, and thought of running away more than a few times every night. Once, while she was packing, Atticus came home, and put her, who was stinking of alcohol and her own puke, to sleep. Atticus felt horrible about leaving Sylvia and Al to themselves, and wanted them to be a family, but he didn't have time. He didn't know just the extent of Sylvia's problems, and how she gobled up wine like there's no tomorrow. The wine-drunks were worse than whiskey-drunks anyway. The nights he came home early, he happily drank with her, because how could he not?  
After Ron had called him, he felt shattered, as if he wasn't good enough, as if he didn't deserve it. He almost sold his now prolific company, till Hermione offered to look after Al while Sylvia was at rehab. Sylvia, who adored Ron and Hermione and only wanted good for her own son, after months of therapy, acknowledged her problem, and set off to rehab. The 4 months that she was there, Atticus took Rose (who insisted on going along), Bus, and Al to his office, and by the 3rd month, Wight Light had finally garnered enough investors, and finally took off. Their products were cheap and effective, and compared to his competitors had a much higher ratings, making them the cream on the top. So he took a week off, to Thailand with Alexis, just to bond and make him happy. By the time Sylvia came back home, she found a happy father and son sitting on the kitchen sink eating scrambled eggs directly from the pan, and decided that she was insane to even think about running away. They were her family, there was no other place she'd feel more at home.  
So when Atticus asked her to marry him finally, she let out a teary chuckle, and said only if Alexis were to be the best man, and Atticus himself couldn't stop himself from getting a little teary-eyed.


	12. Chapter 12: Flashback 3

**This is the last of the flashbacks.**

* * *

They sat on a swing that day, Rose's red, red hair blowing in the wind, as she lifted her blue eyes at Alexis, knowing that things were going to change. He had acquired a slight tan from Australia, and next to him, Bus's skin looked ghostly. "Al, we have something we need to tell you," Albus started. Rose looked like she was about to cry. "Me too! You guys, when we grow up, and have jobs and everything, we _have_ to go to Australia. It's the most-" Alexis started. "No, listen, Al. Aunt Hermione and my mum are making Shepard's pie, and uncle Ron and dad have asked us to go play cards with them, I think?" Albus cut in. Al looked confused, and asked them what was wrong. He couldn't stand that Rose and Al were a little distant since Christmas, and hadn't returned his text messages or calls from when he was away, which was unlike them, because ever since he remembered there was no day that they hadn't talked, even when he was away with his family, or they with theirs.

He followed them to the Potters' living room, where both sets of parents sat around the centre table looking sombre. He was made to sit between them, while Rose and Bus sat on the opposite side, forming a perfect circle. His heart beat loudly, and his anxiety made him nauseous. His 9 year old mind couldn't fathom what they had to say. _Please let no one be sick, please let no one be sick,_ he repeated over and over in his head, as if that'd make it true.  
"Where are Lily, James, and Hugo?" he asked in a small voice.  
"They're over at George and Angelina's," Harry said, shaking his head. "But that's not important right now," he continued, before Al could say he hadn't seen them go out the door.  
"Look, Alexis, you're a part of this family now. We all love you, you have to know that." Ron said.  
"There's something we need to talk about. It's very important for you to understand, okay?" Ginny continued, imploringly.  
Alexis let out a little chuckle at this. "Did you guys rehearse this?" he asked with a throaty laugh.  
Ron let out a laugh, and patted on his back. "Hermione wrote dialogues and made flow charts and everything, mate."  
The room immediately lightened up. Al saw that Rose had started crying silently, while Albus held her, soothingly. "Please continue," Al beseeched. He looked broken.  
"Al, take Rose inside, for a moment, please. Have some water," Harry said. "We'll wait for you. Albus, I mean" Harry still hadn't gotten to call his son Bus, which made it hilarious when Alexis was also around. He always realized his mistake after Alexis and Bus both answered, like now.  
Alexis looked on while his two best friends went inside and came back.  
"Alexis, we are sorry for this. I can see that you're nervous, but please understand that you need to think about what we're going to say, calmly." Hermione cut in. "You are a smart young man, and we think you are completely capable of understanding what we are about to tell you. We are a little different than you are. Our world is different." she said.  
"We are wizards, Alexis." Harry said.  
"You are what?" Alexis asked dumbfounded.  
"Wizards. We do magic."  
"I don't understand."  
"Okay, don't freak out," Ginny said, as she conjured up a polished piece of wood, and levitated the table around which they sat.  
Alexis let out a whistle. He knew this was going to be a long day.

"Rose, why were you crying?" Alexis asked, slowly. They were sitting in the back garden of the Potters. Harry and Albus had gone to Fred and Angelina's. Harry's cousin had apparently dropped in from New York, for the weekend, and his work was close to where they lived. He was staying at some hotel there. Ginny, Hermione, and Ron were making some dinner. It was late in the evening, and Rose and Al sat on the easy chairs on the Potters' back garden. Rose was reading aloud Matilda, for both of them. The three of them often took turns to read aloud books in the summers.  
Rose stopped, and looked at him. Al went over and sat on the arm of her chair, putting his hands around her shoulder. "Are you uncomfortable? Let's sit on the grass?" she said, and they moved.  
"You didn't answer my question." Al was sitting against the fence, and Rose was sitting against him, her head on Al's shoulder. She sighed loudly, and said, "I was afraid." "Of what?" Al asked. "Of your reaction. I didn't know what you were going to think. I thought you'd think we're freaks and stop talking to us, altogether." Alexis stiffed momentarily. "Well you are a freak. Have you seen your hair and your freckles, Rosie?" Rose hit him, which caused him to duck, and she fell down. "No, no," he continued. "Truthfully, I kind of already knew. I always knew you were special." Rose melted a little. Al looked at her and smiled. "Your family is special. Bus was special. I always felt like you kept something from me. Now everything makes sense again." She looked at him and immediately brightened. "And as for me to stop talking to you all, are you insane? I don't think I'll ever get enough of you."

And since then, Rose, Al, and Bus, never spent a day apart. (Well, except while holidaying, but they always Skyped once a day.)

The day Rose got a letter from Hogwarts, she ran towards Al's house and showed it to him. Bus found Rose excitedly telling Al about the adventures they were going to have at Hogwarts for the thousandth time. And always ending with, "I wish you were coming with us, Al. I'm going to miss you so much."  
When they went to Diagon Alley to shop for their supplies, (Alexis was at his dad's lawyer's house for lunch, he had been promised to be taken next year) Hermione and Ron got an extra owl for Al, as a surprise, so that he could write to them when at Hogwarts.  
Two weeks before the first of September, the three of them spontaneously burst out crying, but by the time it was August the 25th, Rose, Albus and Alexis were excited. Alexis sat down with them and debated as to which house both of them would get sorted into. He teased Bus, along with James that he'd be in Slytherin, without a doubt. It was like he always belonged. And he did, and he did.

* * *

 **I hope y'all are following because you like it/find it interesting enough to keep on reading. I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave reviews as well. Thanks. :)**


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